30 Intriguing Stories Behind Historical Mugshots You’ll Want To Read Twice

At the tender age of 7 years old, Julia Ann Crumpling was the youngest prisoner on record at Oxford Castle and Prison in 1870. In addition to that, she was the youngest convicted criminal in history. After being charged with the theft of a pram, she was sentenced to seven days’ worth of hard labor. Crumpling’s mugshot truly highlights the great lengths law enforcement was willing to go at the time to combat juvenile petty theft.

In March 1914, Jennie Lester was arrested in Phelps County and sentenced to one to three years in the Nebraska State Prison for enticing to illicit intercourse. It is said that Lester strongly resisted arrest and later refused to be photographed. Police eventually succeeded in their efforts, and in her mugshot, Lester was pictured striking a bold, defiant pose.

In 1901, F.P. Robinson used a Mexican dollar to pay for a glass of beer in a Douglas Street saloon in Omaha. Then, the Mexican dollar was very similar in appearance to the American dollar and was only worth about 45 cents. As the beer only cost a nickel, Robinson received 95 cents of American money in change. This left him 50 cents richer and enjoying a glass of lager, at least until he was arrested.

Like Jane Farrell, Henry Leonard Stephenson was arrested at the age of 12, and his mugshot also became part of the collection of juvenile offender photos. Charged with breaking and entering in 1873, he received a severe sentence of two months in prison. This sentence highlighted the harsh response to petty theft in Britain in the 1800s.

Bert Martin, who worked as a cowboy, was arrested for stealing a horse. While in prison, Bert’s cellmate of 11 months revealed a stunning secret: Bert was actually a woman called Lena Martin. In her small and sparsely populated town, Leha’s masculine appearance had helped her find work. According to prison records, Lena was transferred to the women's division on September 22, 1901.

Sentenced to 12 to 15 years at the Nebraska State Prison for bank robbery in Kearney County, Alv Lytle turned out to be an innocent man. Lytle had served 2 years and 7 days when someone else came forward and confessed to the crime. For being falsely imprisoned and charged with a crime he didn’t commit, Lytle was compensated $2500 by the state.

Dubbed the “modern Joan of Arc,” 20-year-old Juanita McKamey was arrested multiple times for organizing and speaking at free speech protests in San Diego in 1912. McKamey was charged with criminal conspiracy and initially sent to a juvenile detention home. Following a failed escape attempt, she was moved to the city jail. Like many fellow protesters, McKamey eventually pleaded guilty and paid a fine.

Bertha Liebbeke, also known as “Fainting Bertha,” was one of the most notorious pickpockets in the Midwest. Liebbeke sought out well-off male victims, pretending to faint and stumbling into them. While they attempted to help her, she would steal their wallets or valuables. She went by several aliases, including Bertha Siegel, the name on her Omaha Police Court mugshot.

Stephen Shock was convicted of grand larceny (which nowadays would be divided into burglary, theft, fraud, and similar related crimes) in Douglas County and sentenced to 2 years at the Nebraska State Prison in November 1916. Prison records show that he was released in February 1918, having completed only 15 months of his sentence. Following his early release, Shock joined the United States Army to serve in World War I.

27-year-old Minnie Bradley was arrested on December 11, 1902, for larceny. During the booking process, Bradley gave her home address as North 11th Street in Omaha and listed that she worked as a lady of the night. It was recorded that Bradley was 5 feet 2 inches tall and wore a wig. The description also noted that she refused to look at the camera in her mugshot.

In March 1885, Albert Johnson was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for grand larceny. When Johnson arrived at the Nebraska State Prison, he had an impressive handlebar mustache. However, authorities shaved Johnson’s head and facial hair due to prison policies aimed at reducing lice. Plus, as criminals often changed their names and created multiple identities, detailed descriptions and mugshots were essential. For men, this meant three mugshots each: one before their heads were shaved, followed by a full-face and profile shot afterwards.

In 1903, a young Benito Mussolini was arrested in Bern and deported back to Italy for reportedly inciting a violent strike. However, official records list the cause of his arrest as a lack of identification papers. Mussolini had fled Italy in June of the previous year to avoid military conscription and soon became involved with a group of Italian socialists in Switzerland.

In 1906, Sergeant John Reid of Troop B, Tenth United States Cavalry Regiment, shot and fatally wounded Crawford town marshal Arthur Moss during a heated altercation. Reid fled the scene but was soon captured and taken to the city jail. He eventually stood trial, where he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 7 years at the Nebraska State Prison.

William H. Lee was sentenced to 6 months to 2 years in the Nebraska State Prison for bootlegging in Hitchcock County in December 1919. This was just 2 years after Nebraska’s prohibition law went into effect, outlawing the manufacture and sale of liquor. According to his prison records, Lee was granted a temporary release to visit his terminally ill wife. He returned to prison and was released on July 4, 1921.

In February 1926, Frank Carter, dubbed the “Omaha Sniper,” terrorized the city of Omaha. He fatally shot 2 people, fired through more than a dozen windows, and shot indiscriminately into a downtown drugstore. Businesses in Omaha ground to a halt, streets were deserted, and the city's entertainment venues remained closed for over a week. Arrested and convicted, Carter confessed to 45 more attacks. He was executed by electrocution in July 1927, declaring, "Let the juice flow."

Herbert Cockran, a tailor from Fairmont, Nebraska, was arrested on November 24, 1899, for burglary. For reasons unknown, an unidentified member of the Omaha police force is pictured holding Cockran in a headlock during his mugshot. According to police records, Cockran had a slightly stooped build, a fair complexion, and eyebrows that met at the bridge of his nose.

James Donneley, also known as James Darley, was a child laborer born in Shotley Bridge. He was arrested at 16 years old for stealing some shirts and sentenced to two months behind bars for the crime. Unfortunately, this wasn’t his first run-in with the law, since he was in and out of prison prior to this arrest.

On December 4, 1899, Frank Dinsmore shot his wife, Lillian, and their landlord, Fred Laue. Dinsmore was allegedly obsessed with Fred Laue’s wife and planned the double homicide. He was also accused of using hypnotic powers on both women, turning the case into a newspaper sensation. Found guilty and sentenced to execution by hanging, Dinsmore appealed, and the sentence was reduced to life in prison.

Jane Farrell was a juvenile criminal from Newcastle who faced harsh penalties for petty theft in the late 1800s. She was sentenced to ten days of hard labor at the local House of Correction after getting caught stealing two boots. Farrell's mugshot was taken as part of an effort to keep track of young offenders.

Amos Holloman was a man who spent most of his life in and out of Nebraska State Prison. According to prison records, Holloman served 5 terms spanning a total of 34 years for repeated offenses as a career robber. Every time he entered the prison system, Holloman received a new prison ID number. The mugshots presented above show how he aged between terms.